Means for bailing detritus from a well bore



Fw 5 .02 7 Ma# MEANS FOR BAILING'DETRITU'svFRon/l A WELL oRE.

Feb 13,

atented heh. l, l..

JUAN A. ZUBLIN, 01E' LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MEANS FOR IBAILJING DETRTUS FROM A WELL EURE.

Appltcation led December 27, 1921. Serial No. 5241,@65.

siding at Los Angeles, in the county of Los" lAngeles and -State of (California, have invented a new and useful Means for Bailing Detritus From a Well Bore, of which the following is a specification.

' rll`his invention relates toa method and means for hailing detritus from a well bore and is particularly directed to means es'- pecially adapted for use in connection with -of the detritus in flowing water and separating .the detritus from the water and depositing it in a zone of quiet out of the path of the flowing water. f

A further object is' to provide a method creating a flow of Water at high velocity for carrying the detritus in suspension, reducing the velocity in a zone of increased area above a storage pocket to permit the detritus to gravitate into the pocket out of the path of the circulating' water.V

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of bailer in which the material to be removed from a well is deposited in the bailer by the action ofthe circulating water and is thereafter retained in the bailer out of the lpath of circulation.

Another object is to provide a bailer of the above type in which a separation ofthe material from the water in circulation is effected, and in which such separation is due to the specific gravity of Vsuch material and the reduction .in the velocity of the circulating water at th'e zone of separation. y

Another object is to provide a bailer in which the material depositediILthe storage .pocket thereof at each stroke lis not subsequently subjected to the action of lating water.

Another object is to provide a bailer devoidof moving parts-and which is exceedthe circufinglv simple and durable in construction and lvwhich form a part of this'disclosure, and

which illustrate a preferred form of embodiment of the invention.

` 0f the drawings:

F ig. 1 is an elevation of my improved 'bailer with a drill connected thereto.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line"3-3, of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the bailer in a well hole illustrating the action on the down stroke.

Fig. 5 is a similar section illustrating the action on the up stroke.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through a bailer of slightly modified form in position in a well bore, illustrating the use of the bailer in a simple hailing operation.

lFig. 7 is an enlarged detail section illustrating the details of the discharge port and the closure therefor.

The bailerof the present invention is 'designed to be used for ordinary hailing purposes, that is, for the purpose of removing` sand or other detritus material from a well bore. and also is designed for connection tov a drill hit to function as a receiverof the detritus during a drilling. operation.

The mode of operation in each instance comprises a reciprocation of the device to impart motion to the circulating water to keep the detritus in suspension'and impart a relatively high velocity thereto to convey the detritus to the receiving opening of the bailer-where said velocity is reduced and a gravitv separation is ed'ected. v As illustrated, my improved bailer consists of an elongatedcylinder 1 having a cen` tral chamber 2, a screw-threadedpin 3 at its upper end for attachment to an element t of a tool string or cable. and a screw-'threaded recess at its lower end to receive the screw' threaded pin of a drill bit 5.

The top and'bottom ends of the chamber 2 are closed and themside wall of the bailer is provided with an upper opening 6 land `a loweropening 7 longitudinally spaced therefrom; the chamber extending downwardly from saidsec'ond opening to form an imperjforate storage pocket@ in whichthedetritus is-stor'ed forvrein'oval from the well bore.

`a relatively high pressure stream of water or steam, or the bailer may be provided with a removable wall section at the base of the eled edgesas at `11, this structure preventing lateral displacement of the upper end of the section 9. The lower end of the section 9 engages a recess in the body of the bailer and is provided'with a spring plunger 12 engaging into \a recess 13 to lock the section 9 in place, the spring 14 being preferably of suicient tension to forcefully hold the section upwardly. On one side of the plunger the section 9 has an elongatedn slot 15 and on the opposite side an orifice 16 transversely aligned with the upper end of said slot. The plunger 12 has a transverse orifice 17 and in a removal of the section 9, a bar or other suitable tool 18 is i11- serted through the slot 15 and into the orifice 17 in the plunger 12, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The plunger is then elevated out of the recess 13 and the rod 18 pushed inwardly to engage into the orifice 16, 4as in Fig. 7, to hold the plunger retracted while the section 9 is removed and until it is again desired to lock the section in lace.

If desired the bailer may be constructed as shown in Fig. 6, and in such construction I provide a single elongated opening 7a in place of the two openings 6 and 47 previously referred to in connection with the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. Also in Fig, 6 I have shown a bailer which has no removable wall section such as the section 9 previouslydescribed. In a bailer of this type the separating action is the same as in the bailer having two openings, and the'removal of the contents of the storage pocket will preferably be effected by directing a relatively high pressure stream of water or steam to flush out the detritus or the bailer may in some instances be'turned drill bits upside down and the contents of the pocket then removed either manually or by flushing.

In setting forth the several advantages resultingfrom the use of the bailer hereindisclosed, the functions thereof will first be explained in its usevin connection with a drill bit and during a drilling operation, and with particular reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

In the well known impact well drilling system now in general use which utilizes the walking beam, drill cable` and impact operating in the presence of circulating flushing water. the drilling progress is very slow. The bottom of the bore is disintegrated into pieces of various size by the heavy blows of the drill tool and the detritus must be removed by the circulating water while the drill is in operation, or periodically by other means after first rcmoving the drilling tool from the bore. At least in the removing of the detritus by the so-called mud-water circulating system the detritus must be reduced to a fineness which will permit'the water to carry the particles to the surface, and as the circulation of the water is relatively sluggish only the very fine particles will be carried in suspension to the surface. Therefore, in reducing the detritus to nearly powder form a major `portion of the drilling effort is absorbed in the grinding of the detritus instead of in the boring of the hole. i

Considering further that during the grinding of the material additional uncrushed pieces are continuously being broken from the bottom wall it follows that the hole can never be completely cleaned out by the flushing system, and from this it will be evident that the toolv always first strikes a pillow or cushion of detritus and can never hit the bottom wall with its full power.

The difference in specific weight between water, and shale, stone,etc., lwhich averages one to two and one-half, makes it impossible to lift particles of these materials of any appreciable size in quiet or slowly circulating water, but where a stream of water of appreciable velocity is available particles of considerable size may be lifted without difficulty.

With the above in mind I have provided a bailerl carrying a drill bit and which during the down stroke forces the water and suspended detritus upwardly between the bailer and the wall of the well bore at a relatively high velocity and during the upstroke creates a heavy suction drawing the water and suspended detritus downwardly at a relatively high velocity. B v this ai:- tion the water and detritus is` kept in a highly agitated state and is forced upwardly and downwardly -past the bailer at high velocity.

Now considering the fact that when a stream of water flowing at high velocity in a restricted.spacel is released into a zone of greatly increased area its-velocity is greatlv decreased, it `willbe pointed'out that on the dwn'st'roke of the bailer the water travels upwards at/high velocity in the restricted space between the bailer and the wall of the bore until it reaches the opening T where it then encounters a zone of increased area. that is an area equal to the aforesaid area between the bailer and wall of the bore and the area ofthe chamber 2. and in flowing through this zone of increased area its velocity isgreatly diminished. During the up stroke of the bailer this same decrease in -velocity is effected and it is during such decrease of velocity and in the zone ot increased area that the separation of the detritus -from the circulating water is effected, and in the following manner.

First, as the water with the detritus in suspension passes through the restricted area between the relatively smooth wall of the bailer and the relatively rough wall of the Well bore, the difference in the resistance offered by said walls to the flow will tend to force the detritus radially against the wall of the bailer thereby causing the detritus to more readily enter the opening 7 on the down stroke or reversely, the opening 6 on the up stroke ofthe bailer, andv further as the area of the respective opening is reached thewater taking the path of least resistance will tend to flow through the chamber between the two openings, as indicated by the arrows. On each of the two deadpoints of..the walking beam the water comes to a stand still previous to its change in direction of flow and during such times the detritus then within the chamber 2 settles down into the storage pocket.A @n the up stroke of the bailer the detritus carried downwardly into the chamber 2 will be forced into the pocket where it is retained Sti hlt

'elongated opening.

out of the .path of flow of the water.v

After a period of time the pocket will be-I come fully charged with detritus free from surplus `water and the bailer will then be removed from the well and the pocket emptied.

Fig. 6 illustrates the use of the bailer without the attached drill bit and in this case is primarily used for the purpose ot cleaning out a hole which has been completed or for removing sand or other material entering the well by accident or otherwise.

Also in Fig. 6 l have illustrated a bailer in which the wall between the two openings has been removed to form a continuous Such modification has no appreciable effect on the operation and insome cases will be preferable as it permits a pocket of greater capacity to be formed in a bailer of a given length.

While the form of device here shown and described, is well adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood lthat it is not intended to confine the invention in this regard, as it is susceptible of embodiment in varlous other forms, all

vtop and bottom ends with its side wall provided with an opening and the chamber extending below said opening to form a storage pocket, and means permitting a removal of the stored material from the pocket.

4. A chambered well bailer having closed top and bottom ends with its side wall provided with an opening and the chamber eX- tending below said opening to form a storage pocket, the bottom end of the bailer being formed for attachment to a well drill.

5. A chambered well bailer having closed top and bottom ends with its side wall provided with an opening near the upper'end of the chamber and a second opening spaced downwardly from said first opening and the chamber extending below the second opening to form a storage pocket.

6. A chambered well bailer having closed top and bottom ends with its side wall provided with an opening near the upper end of the chamber and a second opening spaced downwardly from said lirst opening and the chamber extended below the' second opening to form an imperforate storage pocket.

7. A chambered well bailer having closed. top and bottom ends with its side wall provided with an opening near the upper end of the chamber and a second opening spaced downwardly from said first opening and the chamber extended below the second opening to form a storage pocket, and means permitting a removal of the stored material from the pocket.

Signed at rLos Angeles, California, this- 16th day of December, 1921.

- JUAN A. ZUBLIN.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE B. Fos'rnn, L. lBELLn WEAVER. 

